a are the two Parts of Henry IV. We see him again indeed in the Merry Wives of Windsor," and with great satisfaction; but he is in fetters. He might say of himself, as after the exploit at Gadishull, “Am not I fallen away? do not I bate? do not I dwindle? Why my skin hangs about me like an old lady's loose gown!" His meanderings are educed to straight course, and we scarcely recog nise the beauty of the streain. Our memorable queen, when she requested to see Falstaff in love, appears to me (to use a vulgar but pertinent expression) to have mistaken her man.” Eccentricity of affection was expected; and, as might have been foreseen, we are presented only with his avarice. But to return: the two Parts of Henry IV. are, beyond a doubt, the most diversified, in point of character and language, of any of the historical plays of our great dramatist. Who does not marshal in his mind the spirits of "that same mad fellow of the north, Percy;" "of him of Wales, that gave Amaimon the bastinado, Owen Glendower;" and “his son-in-law, Mortimer; and old Nor thumberland; and the sprightly Scot of Scots, Douglas?" Who cannot paint to himself" that goodly portly man, sir John;" the chief justice, (sir William Gascoigne); and that whoreson mad compound of majesty, Prince Henry, who, as he himself observes, had "sounded the very base-string of huniility?" Or, who cannot conjure up the manes of the knight's myrmidons, swag gering Pistol, Poins, Peto, and honest Pistol is a very remarkable character. He seems to be a ranting spouter of sentences and hard words, unconnected and unintelligible; and was introduced by Shakespeare for the purpose of ridiculing the bombast absur dities of his cotemporary dramatic writers. If tins was really the object of the character, it must have had a wonderful effect at its first performance, when the plays of Cophetua, Battle of Alcazer, Tamburlain's Conquests, &c. from all which Pistol makes quotations, were before the public. It strikes me likewise as a very ingenious method of silencing the whole train of envious scribblers which his genius would otherwise have brought upon his own back. MONTHLY Mag. No. 202, Bardolph,* ανηρ οΰς τε, μέγας τε, 11. iii. 197. Nor do those persons do him justice, who regard hini as a character whose sole constituents are vice and low buffoonery. This was not the intention of Shakespeare. Those who are possessed of a natural vein of humour, no less than those who constantly affect it, will sometimes detect themselves in a strain of quips and cranks', whose object is "to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh." Falstaff's wit is often, it must be confessed, of an illegitimate kind; yet the general character of his pleasantry, and the good sense so frequently sparkling from under his singular quaintness, prove that the poet intended him to have the credit of considerable abilities, however unusual or misemployed. To cancel the imputation of perpetual buffoonery, an idea originating in the misconception of those who personate him on the stage, or would paint him like Bunbury, we must recollect that, although he possessed none of those recommendations which are implied in bits. *The character of Barco'ph is one of those bold dashes of the pencil, which our great painter from nature so frequently exhi His great attachment to Falstaff is admirably described. When he is told of the knight's death, he exclaims, "Would I were with him wheresome er he is, either in heaven or in hell!" The same insight into his character is given by another single expression. When the prince tells Falstaff of his favour with his father, Falstaff recommends the robbery of the exchequer; "Rob me the exchequer, Hal, and do it with unwashed hands too?" Bardolph, pleased with the proposal, instantly seconds it with, "De, my lora!" the the term gentleman' as the word was received in its better days, yet he had many which were not consistent with mere ribaldry and buffoonery. If we have an eye merely to his imperfections, which are no criterion of rank in society, our opinion of him will be mean and inadequate. Ile is represented as "a captain of foot," intimate with men of the first title and authority, and, as may be inferred from the scenes into which he is introduced, as likewise from his be haviour to the lord chief justice, could value himself as highly as any of his friends. In the character of companion to the prince, however unworthy, he must in the eyes of the world have been thought deserving of some attention, I will not say respect; for it is in vain that we look for any virtues in him, calculated to inspire us with any thing like reverence. Those who might despise them both for their vices. must remember that Hal was heir to the crown, and that Falstaff was made companion to the future hero of Agincourt. The polite attentions of master Shallow to his old acquaintance, sir John, which may be accounted for without any uncommon sagacity, were returned in a manner consistent with the avarice of the latter, that would now be denominated by the rude name of swindling. Yet the shadow of worthy affection existed in sir John, as we see throughout his conduct. He ascribes his fondness for Poins to a singular cause: "I am bewitched with the rogue's company. If the rascal has not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged; it could not be else." But the affection of the prince for sir John Falstaff is more easily explained, and though manifest in the whole intercourse between them, is more f-elingly described by the poet in the prince's lamentation for his loss, when he views him extended for dead in the field of battle: What! old acquaintance, could not all this flesh keep in a little life? Poor Jack! Farewell! I could have better spared a better man! Oh! I should have a heavy miss of thee, if I were much in love with vanity." This, and a number of other characteristic and unobjectionable passages, are injudiciously omitted in the play as represented on our theatres. I fancy these omissions were made by Colley Cibber; if so, they do him as much credit for poetical feeling as his own tragedies. Indeed, we must think more humbly of the prince's judgment and good sense that we are justified in doing from his known character, if we suppose that he did not observe some amiable features in the man with whom the poet makes him spend the greater part of his time, and for whom he procured a "charge of foot" Similarity, in some degree, of dispositions might be thought a suflicient cause; but where there was not a single praiseworthy object of mutual affection, the poet would not so have erred against human nature as to have represented a friendship. The inconsistency of the prince's future conduct to him, while it reflects somewhat of ingratitude on his poetical memory, was certainly necessary, and tended to the retrieving of his character in thepublic mind. But to solve all difficulties on this head, it will be requisite only to select a single trait in this motley personage, which will ever awaken a partiality for him in every audience. The poet, to counterbalance his thirst of gold, and his more serious vices, has given him an insinuating air of frankness and simplicity of manners. It may be observed that in the first scene of his appearance, you see a man from whom every subsequent part of his history might be expected. The nature displayed in this is too much for the nerves of the audience. They are delighted to see what they seem to themselves to have known in common life, and to find their acquaintance precisely what they ima gined him to be. Falstaff's character is seen at once; be conceals no darker fea tures than those exhibited on his first introduction; and however reprehensible in his vices, he seems willing to trust them to the mercy of his frail audience. This is natural, but it is no extenuation of crime. The prepossession in favor of such men arises from the love of truth and sincerity implanted in us by nature, (not to mention the secret tribute paid to our vanity and self-love on such occa sions), and every one, at some period or other of his life, must have felt it extort ed from him. Such a man is Falstaff. Superlatively vicious and reprobate, darling excess or evil propensity. Yet, he never appears without exposing some in spite of all this, his habits savour so much of every-day profligacy, and his promises of reform and repentance are so frequent, that we cannot help feching, against our better judgment, something like partiality. But more of his vices, and some remarks on his wit, in my next. A. B. E. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, BEG leave, by means of your widely extended miscellany, to suggest a remedy for the very great inconvenience arising from the want of small change, or of a greater quantity of good silver in circulation, which has induced many to wish that bank-notes of 10s. value night be issued. But this, as I cannot but Hink, would be remedying one evil at the expence of another, as we have certaiziv paper enough in crenulation, What therefore I here mean to propose, as a patter that would answer exactly the same end as 10s. notes, (except in payınents under 20s.) is to call in the 9. notes now in circulation, and in their room to issue thirty shilling notes, one of which notes, in addition to those now in use, would, in all payments to any amount in which there were from 7 to 14 odd shillings, reduce the change required to a more trifle. For instance, were a payment of 137, 12s. to be made, a ten pound and two one pound notes, with one of 30s. would reduce the change to 2s. Or, were tew guineas to be paid, a five pound and four one pound notes, with one of 30s. would exactly raise the sum in paper. Perhaps a 50s. (or half 57. note) may by some be preferred; but as these will be of no immediate use in paviments under 40s. which perhaps form the Majority of retail shop payments, the 30s. note wou'd certainly be of much More general use. And I cannot help thinking but that even payments under 20%. will be facilitated by the introduc. tion of the notes here proposed, for as the quantity of silver and small gold used larger payments will, by this means, he much lessened, there will of course remain a larger quantity in circulation for common retail payments. Having mentioned this proposal lately to a banker in the country, he observed, then an objection would probably be made to the introduction of any new kind of note form the mistakes it might occasion, amongst illiterate persons in particular, as was frequently the case in respect to bank post bills. As however, un these last, add shillings are often in serted with a pen, and not printed on the nate, there can be no wonder at these king sometimes overlooked, and not AVING been lately made ac H quainted with a singular misrepre sentation, which has gone forth respecting the Eomological Society, I entreat you to insert in your Magazine a short explanation of the principles upon which this yet infant society is founded. The origin of the society, first established under the denomination of the Aurelian Society, has been faithfully set forth, together with its designs and objects, in Mr. Haworth's two publications, Lepidoptera Britannica, and the Prodromus which preceded that work. Of late, however, a fancied discovery has been made that it was projected in a schismatic mood in opposition to the Linnean Society, and also with a design to attack, in unjustifiable criticsm, the works of Mr. Donovan. this appears to me too absurd to be received by any reflecting person, and had I not the best founded information that Mr. Donovan has entertained to the utmost extent of credulity the above ideas, and that his partizans are actively endeavouring to stop the increase of the society, and undermine its fabric, I should not have considered it necessary to give an additional explanation of the purposes, intentions, and ends, for which the Entomological Society has been established. Far from its being an opponent to the Linnæan Society, I deem it an introductory semmary to raise future candidates for admission into that ever by me revered society. This, a short statement, I trust, will convince every one to be true. At the head of the Entomological Society, and amongst its original promoters, are found several fellows of the Linnæan Society. These are gentlemen, who muited to their stodies in natural history the personal labour of collecting the insects of Eng land. Their pursuits and habits threw them into accidental meeting, and cosequently a temporary acquaintance with other practical collectors, who were as zeniou, realous and diligent labourers in entomological hunts as themselves, but not. blessed with a classsical education; some indeed, ignorant of the Latin language, and confined for their information solely to Barkenhout, Martin, and other English authors. These collectors, laudably ambitious of improving the opportunities which these meetings afford, solicited the honour of a more intimate connexion; and experience pointing out the increase of British entomological acquisitions which would arise from the union of practical collectors, after a short consideration, the Entomological Society was resolved to be founded, and every person who is a practical collector, or an amateur of the science, may be admitted by ballot, and under ruks now modelled to bear a great similarity to those of the Linnæan. The principal obstacle to admission is immorality of character; for an acquaintance with the languages, I have already observed, is not required. The object of the society is to unite men of a creditable degree in life, who may assist each other in the promotion of this science, and disseminate information to numbers who at present labour under the want of a liberal education, and a consequent abridgement of the means of entomological study. The more learned members explain to their brethren the subjects of their study, and publish their discoveries; they point out at each meeting all novel ac quisitions, and give appropiate names to new-discovered insects, whilst they themselves increase their own knowledge of species by the numerous specimens produced; for each collector is enabled very frequently to exhibit a new acquisition, which locality of habitat might have hidden from the eye of the entomological student, had not this society united such practical collectors residing in diferent counties. What then is there in the objects of this institution, which proposes only to encourage the practical collector, to lead on the student of moderate education to higher attainments, and to gain an extended exhibition of British insects, that can be construed into an infringement on the province of the Linnean Society of London; or as tending to attack the works of Mr. Donovan, of whom the writer of this article has a very slight personal knowledge, which, were they nearer resident, he should be happy to advance into a cordial and intimate friendship? C. C. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. I' SIR, F mathematicians at Cambridge never take up their grey goose quills 66 except to sign annual audit accounts, or to write to antiquated maidens;" if the intervals between the leaving the combination rooms and the whist parties with them are always dreary, except relieved by your Magazine; if they are vain of the reputation the boys of their college give them, and so conscious of the demerits of their compositions that it is necessary to boast of their own learning, and of the degrees which they have taken; if they are so intemperate as to be unable to write after dinner, and so idle that they can be amused with shooting; so unacquainted with the working of arches, as to talk of their "sinking at the haunches;" it is to be wished that their habits of life may become more mathematical, and that they may learn to praise the "lean and sallow abstinence." "Old fellows of colleges" have lately much exposed themselves, and they have been corrected; but they have yet to be convinced that renown is not the meed of indo. lent repose." Philo-veritas may blush, like father Paul, at the extreme and deplorable ignorance of mankind: but the monks of colleges are not as well acquainted with the theory and practice of the construction of vaults as the monks of the middle ages. If Philo veritas were able to excommunicate all the pontifices who disagree with him, and had authority to pull down all the bridges which prove the fallacy of, or if no bridges had been built but conformable, to the Emerson theory, Philo-veritas must have waded through, or have been ferried over, the Cam, and Cambridge would have had another name. If Philo-veritas had ever seen the vaulting of King's-college Chapel, Cambridge, he would not have defended the Emerson theory of arches: if he knew any thing of the lives of the most eminent mathematicians at Cambridge, he would not have drawn his own imaginary character so far from life. He may not be able to discover the principles of Dr. David Gregory's deductions, in spite of the information which he commu nicates, "that the simple catenaria is of Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus He may not be able to understand how Philo-veritas may not perceive that professor Robson introduced this theory into the Supplement to the Encyclopædia Britannica, with a view to shew how simply it might be confuted, and how it violated common sense and uniform experience. Philo-veritas says, that "the haunches of an arch sink;" they must be arches built after the Emerson theory, which, to be mathemacally in equilibration, must literally rick the very heavens; and the haunches which must bear as much fat mold as may be contained in the land ofhilo-veritas' fat benefice. There is See page 26, Principles of Bridges, 2nd edith. another circumstance which your corre spondent seems not to have discovered, that Dr. Hutton, in the letters in your Magazine, in answer to your review of his Principles of Bridges, and those of the Monthly Review, has virtually relin quished the theory; and he has left the promised improved edition," the nonumque prematur in annum baving long elapsed, to those who justly think that the mud, which so emment a mathematician has been in, will not soil them." "It is hard to kick against the pricks." catenarian arch being equally thick Milner's report may amuse him. The sinking at the haunches:" perhaps Dr. opinions of fifteen out of the seventeen who gave their opinions in that report, equilibration. Philo-veritas, next time are not very flattering to the theory of he writes, will do well to take the name of Pseudo-veritas. Is it intended by the disciples of the Emerson theory to the catenaria is the best form for an arch assert, that Dr. Gregory pretends that of a bridge, and that he pretends it in the passage, Et cujus-cunque," &c? The enemies of the Emerson theory would rejoice to see this avowed. spheres, it is necessary only at present In regard to the question of equal to observe, that it may be proper in pure mathematics to be positive, but in mixed mathematics it is not philosophical. The complex diagram must be very simple to any one who was acquainted with Dr. Gregory's paper: but Philo-veritas attaches no value to it, otherwise he would have discovered that the first sensense, and consequently not a true transtence in Lapicida's quotation was nonlation. It might have been expected that one who had acquired reputation for learning in his college, would have been ashamed to read Dr. Gregory's paper through a translation, or at least not until he had examined it with the original: see Ex Mechanicis, &c. Why has not your correspondent given some |